Despite criticism, Broussard holds to Monday return plan

Even though streets are strewn with storm debris, some neighborhoods remain flooded and almost homes all lack electricity and drinking water, Jefferson Parish residents will be allowed to return Monday at 6 a.m., Parish President Aaron Broussard reiterated Saturday, despite widespread skepticism from state and other parish officials.

Parish officials will begin letting residents enter providing that the driver of the car has identification showing a Jefferson address. Residents will be able to access their homes only via Airline Drive or Jefferson Highway in East Jefferson and U.S. 90 on the West Bank, Emergency Management Director Walter Maestri said.

Anyone not in the car queue by 6 p.m. will be denied entry on that day but may try again the next day. The 12-hour window of entry will be the policy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

All residents are urged to leave the parish after taking care of their homes, parish officials said.

Residents are advised to bring a full tank of gasoline, food and drinking water, as well as a claw hammer and pliers to pull out carpet, disinfectant to prevent mold and materials to secure damaged windows and doors.

An estimated 350,000 of Jefferson's almost half-million residents fled before or immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck Monday, and thousands more are thought to have left as the week wore on.

With a massive influx of return traffic expected Monday, parish officials recommended that residents carpool and be prepared to walk several blocks to their homes, as only major streets are being cleared of debris. Many side streets remain choked with downed tree limbs and power lines. Emergency management officials also warned women not to come alone for safety.

On Thursday, the parish will reopen to anyone, regardless of residency, Broussard said.

Despite the open doors, Jefferson remains a site of destruction. Floodwater still stands in the southwest portion of the University City subdivision of Kenner, at Transcontinental Drive and Kawanee Avenue in Metairie and in two parts of Old Metairie. Broussard said he has received criticism of his plan from other parish officials, law enforcement agencies and the state, but he has not wavered.

"We're under martial law. And there's only one marshal: Me, " Broussard said.

He said the Louisiana Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act of 1993 gives him full authority to override any objections from the Parish Council, and he said state officials have reluctantly agreed to the plan.

Asked about that during a news briefing Saturday, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she wanted "to work with Parish President Broussard. We want to make sure it doesn't hurt recovery efforts."

She strongly urged residents to have patience. "I know everyone wants to go clean their yards, check on their homes and get back to their normal lives."

While the state may work with Broussard, some parish officials have openly disagreed with him. They contend Jefferson is not ready for its residents. There are few businesses open to sell such basics as food, water, ice or gasoline, and the only two aid distribution centers in operation have had hours-long lines. And with hospitals full to capacity or shut down all together, those who are sick or injured have few options.

"I realize people's houses are important to them, but personal safety comes first, " Parish Councilman Chris Roberts said. "Yes, the parish president has made a decision to let people back (but) I am recommending folks to reconsider coming back."

Roberts said that even if residents come back with full tanks of gasoline, they could use up much of that fuel during a 10- to 15-hour wait in traffic.

Broussard said he is working with the Sheriff's Office to set up traffic control at key intersections. But he acknowledged that many intersections would remain unstaffed and urged drivers to be cautious. With electricity service down in most of the parish, there will be few traffic lights operating.

Kenner Police Chief Nick Congemi said he is concentrating on how to manage Monday's traffic. "We have major concerns, but it's his (Broussard's) decision to make, " Congemi said.

The Kenner Police Department is already stretched thin. "EMS and fire-EMS have refused to come out after dark. Police officers are the catch- all for everything, " he said.

On the West Bank, though, Westwego Mayor Robert Billiot said he was ready for residents to return.

Mark Smith, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Homeland
Security, said he didn't think it was safe for residents to go back, as "the floodwaters haven't subsided yet in parts of Jefferson."

Asked if he thought it might slow the recovery effort, Smith said he thought it could hamper routes needed by emergency workers. "It's not a decision I agree with, but Broussard has the right to make that decision."

Charles Parker, 61, who rode out the storm at his Marrero home, agreed that people needed to be allowed to return to check on their houses. With afternoon thunderstorms that "you could set your clock by" in south Louisiana, he said houses with holes in their roofs must be patched quickly so any rain damage doesn't get worse.

Yet after spending an hour in line waiting to get water from a relief center on Saturday, Parker said having tens of thousands of additional people in a parish with limited municipal services, the waits will be far worse.

"It's going to be murder, " Parker said. "You know what's going to happen when people are standing in that line, three, four hours, they're going to be pissed."